That's the version people actually play, and which has the furthest developed systems to do bigger stuff. Look up PaperMC, it enables some wild stuff for Minecraft multiplayer.
The server options available for multiplayer in Bedrock are truly pathetic in comparison.
I know. I've seen a lot of videos on the differences between Java and Bedrock, how Bedrock came to be, modding on Java like Feed The Beast, and multiplayer servers like 2BT2 (for those that don't know FitMC has some good vidoes on 2B2T; it's a neat rabbit hole to go down if you want to kill sometime).
What I am saying is I am surprised that Microsoft is still updating Java when there's so much money to be made nickle and diming players in Bedrock edition. Like paying for skins for example. It would definitely piss off a lot of the player base but I don't know if it would cause them to lose money in the long run. I imagine a lot of casual players are content using Bedrock and unaware of why Java is important.
Minecraft is already on the way out of the Zeitgeist of cultural relevance. The minecraft audience is mostly nostalgic grown ups now. Bedrock is kept alive by parents trying to have quality time with their kids on a safer or easier to maintain server space. The truly passionate and obsessed users, doing crazy and innovative stuff to their servers are still on Java edition. Kill Java and you kill Minecraft for all practical intents and purposes.
I feel like Minecraft surges in popularity pretty regularly. As long as people continue streaming it and posting videos of it I think that'll remain the same. I don't know if someone who is looking for a taste of what they saw online will know the limitations of Bedrock. They might just pick it up because it's available on whatever platform they use.
I suppose killing Java might put a stop to the content that is being created with Minecraft and that might cause it lose its relevance but I don't know if a majority of content creators are using Java or Bedrock.
Streamers almost exclusively use Java. There are certain popular games and mods that are only possible and/or easier to setup on JE. Achievement Hunter was one of the rare channels that used the console version at first and even them changed to the JE eventually. But they are not relevant anymore, weren't for some time before their closure. Hyper massive servers, custom maps, automated gamerules with scripts, most of those things that make Minecraft creative and interesting to watch exist only on the JE.
Never seen so much buzz thanks to distance horizons and now every shader is building in compatibility to make some truely stunning visuals. Let alone the insanely amazing mods packs and general content!
It's funny you bring that up. Because it's par for the course. Bedrock is the prettier Minecraft, but JE is the gameplay Minecraft. Flashy shaders and shitty LOD have their splash for a few days. But ultimately they are not what Minecraft is about. Same thing happened with ray tracing. People think they want to play with those things because they're shiny, but then they realize their old hardware can't run it without lag, so they go back to their obby maps and squid game servers that look like shit but run at 60fps and are actually fun.
I agree for shaders, but distant horizons brings a level of immersion i have no felt to the game in a long time. Add this with the mod packs and its so good! (Ages fan here)
I didn't say it is out of relevance. I said it is on its way out of cultural relevance. As in, it's slowly dwindling over time. Nothing extremely popular disappears over night. It will take decades. And it's not that I don't like it, I bought Minecraft on alpha 1 and something. 14 years ago. Have played every single update until recently, and played almost everything it has to offer.
However much I love it, I can also recognize that it is no longer like the heyday of popularity around 2015, when the default YouTube page was plastered with Minecraft let's plays, and the only non-Minecraft streamers on the newly minted Twitch brand were WoW players and speed runners. Kids are no longer making Minecraft fanfic comics, and there's fewer Minecraft themed birthdays. Again, the average Minecraft player has a higher chance of having kids by now than being a kid themselves.
Java is quite popular online due to all the mods and the videos people upload to YouTube using those mods, but I believe in terms of number of users, Bedrock outscores it quite a bit. The barrier to entry is lower – $7 on iOS/Android and most people have phones.
actually bedrock servers are way more capable, bedrock has proper reconnect packets, custom ui frameworks (i.e. servers can do proper themed guis that look fucking awesome instead of relying on chests) and custom 3d models.
I'm just saying that yes bedrock (and it's server) may have better mod features, but the mods end up being sold on the minecraft marketplace or whatever anyway. Yes you can download and install mods for free, but I bet the majority of players just buy them.
I'm talking about features available to server software, not addons.
bedrock servers can use custom 3d models natively, build fully custom native uis (instead of relying on chests) and reconnect players to other servers without resorting to terrible hacks like on the java edition
also bedrock server software itself is objectively much more efficient, there's no point of even comparing it to the java server software, even unofficial servers like papermc.
It's the main reason why cubecraft's CTF mode is severely limited on the java edition, they basically crippled it just to allow the server to keep up
yes, the marketplace sucks ass but my point still stands.